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BEST Adult Mandarin Classes

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ORIGINAL POST
Posted by kooni 19 yrs ago
Any recommendations for a rigorous/academic program? Thank you!

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COMMENTS
kooni 19 yrs ago
still looking... Any suggestions?

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dkchick 19 yrs ago
I think the course(s) at CUHK are quite good - since it's at a good university here in HK, the chances are it has more rigor, etc. They advertise on this site so should be easy to find and have different types of programs, including intensive summer programs. Good luck!

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hkchoichoi 19 yrs ago
Hi Kooni-


CUHK is very good. But VERY rigorous - my friend who did it for a year learned a ton, but she didnt' have children and it was basically like being a full time student (according to her.) I dont' know how you'll do it with two at home, but it may be worth looking into in terms to see if they have a less rigorous program (not sure.)

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kooni 19 yrs ago
CUHK seems perfect in its intensity but not for its class meeting times, as hkchoichoi wrote. 3 hours per day M-F during the day just doesn't work for me. Is there as rigorous a program that meets in the evenings? Where do people who work during the day go?

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dbg 19 yrs ago
I did the course CUHK some time ago, and found it to be excellent, but agree with you about the timings.


I've been looking at signing up at Executive Mandarin, they have morning, lunch time and aftrenoon classes, as well as offering private lessons with a totally flexible schedule.


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kiwi_bc 19 yrs ago
dbg - I'm looking for classes too - have you started with EM? how's are they?

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kooni 19 yrs ago
I started with them, but I did not like the syllabus so withdrew. They run through all of the pinyin tones and pronunciations within the first hour and then move on! Any serious student would want to spend significantly longer on this area. This area is the MOST challenging, isn't it? Then, I felt that the teacher just glossed over really bad pronuncation from the other students and that's what we all heard.

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Submariner 19 yrs ago
Actually, glossing over the tones is, in my opinion, a good idea. After years of trying to learn Mandarin off and on, the method that worked the best was to ignore the tones. The tones will come in due course. In the meantime, if the class just teaches you vocab and grammar, you will learn enough for basic communication. From there, you can pick up the tones on your own (either through self-teaching or immersion).

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kiwi_bc 19 yrs ago
how about the Y?

I've tried to learn from books and CDs but most goes in one ear and out the other! I've also tried the online but think interaction will help.


I'm thinking of skipping Level I and going to Level II by learning myself before they start classes in Oct.

Do you think that's wise?


I'm a bit past beginners Cantonese and found that beginner Mandarin was similar in some ways.

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kooni 19 yrs ago
Kiwi - I really have no advice on your situation, but I totally disagree with Submariner. Intonation should be perfect to take mandarin or cantonese perfectly. I have several friends who learned mandarin as a second or third language and are now completely fluent at the scholarly level, let alone business level (studied at uni and thereafter). And, they are unanimous that pronunciation is key and that was how they all learned.

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Submariner 19 yrs ago
Kooni,


Your friends and I do not disagree. I also believe pronounciation is key, and I'm sure that's the way they learned it. That doesn't mean that mastering tones is an imperative at the beginning. As one becomes more familiar with the language, tones become much easier to pick up naturally. Less focus on grammar and vocab = more focus on tones.


Languages should be learned one step at a time. This also applies to written/spoken learning. Especially with Asian languages, it is far more efficient to learn spoken before written rather than both at the same time. Unfortunately, most classes combine the written and spoken, vocab/grammar and tones, which slows things down considerably.

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dazed 19 yrs ago
HKU also offers Mandarin courses to the public, tho the hours may be similar to CUHK. check at www.hku.hk


You were wise to drop out of that private school. After some hard sell by the principal I tried one of their courses--the teaching was v unprofessional: they were perfunctory about everything, not just tones, and plonked people of different levels in the same class. It was basically a make-money-off-expats-who-don't-know-any-better operation. Other private schools weren't much better (i tried 2 others). In the end I completely rearranged my schedule so that I could go to CUHK. If you can't do an academic course, my advice would be to engage a good private tutor, rather than waste money on a private school. A tutor may cost more but you'll get more out of it.

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kiwi_bc 19 yrs ago
great feedback!

re CUHK - which course are you taking?

it sounds like the way to go for me as I'm not working right now.


a bit confused as there are 2 "schools".

The Yale one seems to be the one to take as the Continuing and Professional Studies course details are in Chinese.

This is the one I see (but it seems like the Y program at a higher price!)

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I'll check out hku as well


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Mita5chome 19 yrs ago
I am interested in HKU intensive program but could not find it in the HKU website. All I got was the HKU Space program (not everyday). I heard that the Monday to Friday daytime intensive program like the one in CUHK is also offered in HKU. Can anyone (dazed maybe?) provide the information?

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kooni 19 yrs ago
I would lOVE to attend a University program -- esp at CUHK but I am a full-time mother to 2 very young ones. Dazed -- so funny you mention about the principal at EM because I felt completely steamrolled by her. Anyway, I appreciate the suggestion on a very strong private tutor, esp one from Beijing. Does anyone out there have ANY information on a very very good private tutor? I am very committed to this, so the challenge is appreciated. Thank you.

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dazed 19 yrs ago
HKU's intensive putonghua for foreigners is under Dept of Chinese, 'other programs'. See

www.hku.hk/chinese/other%20programs/c2.html


re CUHK: it's the Yale-in-China centre (3 mins walk from University KCR station). I took an lower intermediate-level course as I had some putonghua already (which is how I could tell those private schools were duds). Unless you're a beginner, they'll assess your level to place you in an appropriate class.



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Mita5chome 19 yrs ago
Thanks dazed. Too bad the deadline is over at HKU. I will sign up next year.

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kooni 19 yrs ago
thank you, briandwest! perfect.

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deschatjes 19 yrs ago
How did the private tutor go? Anyone have any experience with City University?

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Tjej 19 yrs ago
Try Berlitz. They're the best!

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Ed 19 yrs ago
Here's a good deal from one of our advertisers:


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oppiz99 9 yrs ago
Anyone have any recommendations for learning Putonghua for a foreigner?
I'm only available in the evenings as I work 9-6.
I'm not looking for some official certification either, just so I can communicate better in HK and China. I have basic knowledge of Putonghua so don't need huge focus on Bo Po Mo Fo, etc.
Need to learn professional working proficient Putonghua for business.

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